But I think it's taken a lot of toll on them mentally and physically. Bo Dukes comes from a prominent family that owned a huge pecan orchard in the Ocilla area. Tara Faye Grinstead was the youngest child of Bill and Faye Grinstead, born in 1974. Brooke Sheridan: We actually met on Tinder. Tara's cell phone was charging inside the house. I don't remember everything clearly I was stealing from her purse. On Sunday, Tara's mom called her several times, but Tara didn't answer. . Bo then gave his account of moving and then burning her body, which began on a Wednesday and took two days. After college, Tara got a job at Ocilla's Irwin County high school, teaching 11th grade history. For some people, the best send-off is one that they would have loved to attendthemselves: a big party. Sending condolences & deepest condolences to the Dukes Family. Yet both these demands were denied by the court. The jury heard the confession Duke made in 2017. The returned to the orchard once, where the ashes looked like a small campfire. Interment will follow in Southlawn Cemetery. Vicki Heilig Dukes AIKEN, SC - Vicki Heilig Dukes, 65, died Thursday, September 15, 2016 at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Maybe because I'm a nobody. His fellow soldier? I thought he was out of his mind. A native of Concord, NC, Vicki was a daughter of the late David Leon and Mamie Rae. They went to the orchard one other time for a part in November 2005. He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash.". Ryan Dukes Obituary Remember Ryan Dukes. They laid out the evidence collected at Grinsteads property just following her disappearance. Ohio Residents: Neptune Society is affiliated with Okerwall Funeral Home. Need help? For years, Marcus Harper lived under a cloud some might say a thunderstorm of suspicion. Peter Van Sant: And what is it about him that you love? Peter Van Sant: One said she had clothes on, the other said she did not. While Reinhardt acknowledged that Duke seemed remorseful on the stand, he pointed out Dukes' decision to not tell anyone had an impact on Grinstead's family and friends. Tara didn't bring home the Miss Georgia crown, but just competing was a huge achievement says Dana Wilder, who grew up in Ocilla. Peter Van Sant: Did he have names of who these two men were who claimed they had killed Tara? The Associated Press contributed to this story. A full skeleton. "We believe in Ryan and we believed in him the entire time.". Bens account could not be taken as hed passed before Ryan and Bo were arrested. Maria Woods Harber: I've had to come to a conclusion that I'm just gonna have to live the rest of my life not knowing. Then, more than 11 years after Tara disappeared, Brooke Sheridan came out of nowhere with her account about not only Bo Dukes but his friend Ryan Duke. John McCullough: I would say from the year of 2007 until 2016 I would probably say I reached out nine or 10 times to the GBI. CONNIE GRINSTEAD [Reading family impact statement]: His confession in 2017 seemed genuine and sincere, and he looked remorseful. And he asked me to help him get rid of her body. Leave a memory or share a photo below to show your support. Dr. Fred W. Andrea III officiating. Anita Gattis said her sister's disappearance threw her family into "an out-of-control spiral" that they've never escaped. An Irwin County jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of murdering Georgia teacher and beauty queen Tara Grinstead. "Approximately 20 bone fragments that could be considered human bones.". The door was locked. View Obituaries Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Inc. and Shellhouse-Rivers Crematory Ryan Dukes August 23, 1974 - April 26, 2018. He had an alibi, but the whispers continued. Witness Randy Hudson owned the pecan orchard where Grinstead's body was allegedly disposed. I was high. I mean, she had the biggest smile. 5260 Daniel J. Enea, Manager. Greg Kaplan, Phillip J. Tangel and Marcus Balsam are the editors. Lets find out. On the glove they not only identified Tara's DNA, but that of an unknown male. As such, in the State of Oregon Preneed Crematory Sales and Services are conducted under the trade name Neptune Cremation Service. IRWIN COUNTY, Ga. - An emotionaltrial in Irwin Countyconcluded Monday with a judge sentencing Ryan Duke to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison - with five years already served. Grinstead graduated from Middle Georgia College and began teaching at Irwin County High School in Ocilla in 1998. "Its been a 17-year nightmare for them," Irwin County District Attorney Bryce Johnson said. Police found her car seat in position for someone taller, and police said they found an envelope with $100 in cash on the dashboard. And she told them about her employee's tip three years earlier regarding Bo Dukes and Ryan Duke. And I think she was just trying to move on in a small town of Ocilla, everyone knew their situation. "I hope Mr. Duke lives the rest of his life begging God for forgiveness every day from his dying breath," she said before asking the court to give him the maximum sentence. Grinstead's best friend, sister, and step mother took to the stand to describe the pain they have felt since her 2005 disappearance. John McCullough: I have no idea. Ryan Duke said he thought Bo Dukes was playing a joke on him, until he saw her corpse. But questions remained about discrepancies between Ryan's version of events and Bo's. Ryan Duke's attorneys believe their client's testimony was key in this case. Jannis Paulk: There were people who believed she ran away. Peter Van Sant: How did you and Bo Dukes meet? Her colleagues at the school where she worked called the Ocilla Police Department to check on the 11th-grade teachers home. Send Flowers . One witness, Heath Dykes, testified to having a relationship with Grinstead while his was married. Your long suffering has been unimaginable. He recalled that moment. I can't imagine the loss of a child. DEFENSE: We know the State hasn't brought a single witness to tell you it was on the ground before Monday morning. Both men were surprising suspects to the cops, who claimed that theyd never came up on the radar. Bo told them that he and Ryan had burned Taras body at the Hudson Pecan Company pecan orchard, and when the area was searched, some human bone fragments were found. Year after year passed with no arrests. John McCullough: Yeah and we were pretty close. With no hard evidence, authorities couldn't make an arrest. Duke said he was on drugs at the time he broke into Grinstead's Ocilla home and doesnt remember how exactly he killed her. Jannis Paulk: there were several people, several men, who got a lot of scrutiny for a long time . It's surprising how much a musical selection can affect mourning. Marcus Harper: What they're sayin' at the local grocery store, and at the local restaurants They don't think that it's gettin' to someone who's my family or my friend? Texas FD #3523, #5075, #3185, #3349, #3705 They wanted the state to fund the expenses for people like private investigators and expert witnesses for Ryan. John McCullough: He was like, "yeah, do you remember that bulletin that you had asked me about with that girl on it?" Ricou Browning, the stunt man who played the title character in underwater sequences of the 1954 classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon," died Monday at 93. Ryan worked at a plastics manufacturing plant, while Bo would occasionally work at his family's pecan farm. Ryan Duke said he drove toward a pecan orchard, owned by a relative of Bo Dukes. Tara's family could do little but pray for a breakthrough. He denied that, but when asked why he lied to the GBI about killing Grinstead, Duke said, "I'm trying to make that right.". Hudson said at the time he thought the burn site was an innocent bonfire. By her front door, they found a business card from a police officer in a nearby town. Peter Van Sant: What would anyone's motive be to kill Tara Grinstead? State and defense teams made their pitches to jurors and began examining witnesses. But again, as far as she knew, it went nowhere. He was the owner operator of Dukes Tax Service and Taxxman Payroll Solutions. Duane Ray Dukes, age 70, of Bryan, Ohio, passed away on Sunday, December 27, 2020, in his home, surrounded by family, following a ten-month battle with cancer. But if you're ready for this Bo had already been interviewed by the GBI a year earlier in 2016. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. It was told to me when I was in Georgia. Prosecutors said Duke took law enforcement to the pecan orchard where he confessed to burning and dumping Grinstead's body. I definitely didn't wanna settle down in small town America. He was a graduate of A The two then went to a party. John McCullough: Yeah, Tara Grinstead, and said, you know, "missing.". Another former student, Bo Dukes, is now serving a 25-year prison sentence for lying to the GBI and helping Duke bury her body. 2023 Neptune Society. Thanks to the loyal support of generations of families, we've now grown to 45 locations nationwide with continued expansion in the future. The defense argued the validity of the report and test. Tara Grinstead was a 30-year-old history teacher at the Irwin County High School in Ocilla, Georgia, when she was reported missing on October 24, 2005. The document claims that later, he used a payphone to see if shed pick up, and when she didnt, he was convinced that she was dead. They argued Duke was not responsible for her death but solely helped Bo Dukes dispose of the body, alleging that Bo Dukes was the mastermind behind the crime. John McCullough: He had told me that his friend accidentally strangled her and he needed help getting rid of the body so that way there was nothing to find. Send a gift to a service or familys home. Maria Woods Harber: She was absolutely elegant onstage. Now the man accused of murdering Tara Ryan Duke would go on trial for murder almost 17 years after she went missing. GBI agent Gary Rothwell said GBI agents' reports included the names Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes in 2005. Send a Card. Brooke says she was studying in Savannah to become a pharmacist when, in 2015, she came face-to-face with her online date. Rothwell took the blame for the GBI assuming local law enforcement determined information indicating Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes as persons of interest were "unfounded." "Two men who had no regard for a beautiful, loving person took her life. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead beloved teacher and local beauty queen mystified the people of Ocilla, Georgia, like Jannis Paulk, who lived just around the corner from Tara. "We will always hate what this defendant did to Tara and to the people who loved her," she said. Find service information, send flowers, and leave memories and thoughts in the Guestbook for your loved one. Peter Van Sant: How many times did you call the GBI over what period of time and you still didn't get any . Call Call. Ryan worked at a plastics manufacturing plant, while Bo would occasionally work at his family's pecan farm. Defense attorneys began to call witnesses of their own Monday when the state prosecutors rested their case after over a week of arguments. Maria Woods Harber: She was an excellent teacher. 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